‘What is your weird claim to fame?’ – 23 utterly unlikely ways people have gained a little bit of stardom

It’s easy to be famous nowadays: just open a social media app, say something awful that you’d never have said in front of a crowd of people in the pre-internet days, and suddenly you’re a commentator on GB News.

But, luckily, there are still some people out there who have enjoyed having a brush with fame that did not involve shilling themselves on the platforms of tech giants, as they discovered on the AskUK subreddit after SubtractAd shared their own…

What is your weird claim to fame?

I used to work at Yodel’s contact centre. I was the voice telling people that lines were closed and they should visit the website.

They must have had (a slightly irritated) audience of millions! Lots of other people had their own mini-celebrity stories too, like these…

1.

‘My dad was in Rita, Sue and Bob Too. When he turned up, the director said, “This character is meant to be weedy and pathetic, that’s why they’ve dressed you like this.” And my dad was like, “I haven’t been to wardrobe yet. These are my clothes.”‘
–hipposaregood

2.

‘There’s an animated YouTube Shorts video that’s basically just a character puking; the puking noises are me (recorded myself yelling into a bowl of water). It has 47 million views.

Small potatoes in the wider world of online virality, but it’s something I’m sure my grandparents would’ve been proud of.’
–HermioneGunthersnuff

3.

‘For the first time, this year, students studying a WJEC literature syllabus sat down to answer an exam paper on a book that I wrote.

It’s really odd to see an exam paper asking questions like, ‘Analyse devices used by the author to increase tension in this extract’, when I wrote most of the book in the early hours of the morning and was just chucking words at a screen in a desperate attempt to move the plot along. I was never conscious of using stylistic techniques, but the examiners say I did, so I guess I must have!’
–LiliWenFach

4.

‘A rather local claim to fame-

But I’ve started to be recognised on the street as the person who makes the ceramic frogs with tits. I’m now referred to as “frog guy” because of this, sad thing is, I think frogs are just ok.’
–BaconVonAnusBerg

5.

‘My car was once used in an episode of A Touch of Frost and David Jason touched the driver’s side door. Didn’t wash it for ages.’
–Sad_Werewolf8

6.

‘Lady Gaga follows me on Twitter/X/whatever it’s called nowadays.’
–lucylastic89

7.

‘Britney follows me for some reason… hope she enjoys tweets about EastEnders and British pop culture.’
–ourfriendinthenorth

8.

‘Barack Obama follows me. No idea why.’
–skankyfish

9.

‘Over 30 years ago I got mugged in my city centre aged 12. It was the first crime to be captured on the newly installed cctv, so the picture of me in a headlock went in the local paper. They caught the guy after his girlfriend’s mum recognised him.’
–flibbity-flop

10.

‘My uncle and auntie were Mike Smith and Sarah Greene, who were in Ghostwatch. Mike also presented Top of the Pops.’
–No_Hawk8947

11.

‘My grandad was one of the main people behind the invention of the round teabag (and subsequent machines that made them). Shockingly, I hate tea and don’t drink it! I bring great shame upon our family…’
–jimmybiggles

12.

‘I was the silhouette of an anonymous voice on a news report once.’
–lastaccountgotlocked